The Greatest Power Has the Greatest Downfall
by Celestial Wolfen
Summary: What happens when your power is lost by her own downfall? Okay Yeah I'm not the greatest at summaries. Rated M for cursory and violence in Chapter 3 besides that it shouldn't be too bad for now. Some royai...just not much at the moment...
1. Rain, Rain Go Away

Disclaimer: I don't own FMA. If I did I don't think people would be very happy with me 'cause I'd probably kill off Ed and Al and have it be more about the military bows head in shame yeah I'm mean...

**Chapter 1: Rain, Rain Go Away**

Riza Hawkeye merely sighed as she stared outside the hotel room window. The rain had finally stopped. She had been cooped up in the town for 6 days already and her mission hadn't been complete. Word had gotten to Eastern Headquarters that the infamous Scar was wandering about this town on the outskirts of Amestris in a town not too far from Risembool, and it was Roy and Riza's assignment to capture the criminal named Scar. So far there had been no luck in finding him, but the reason was quite pathetic. Once it started to rain fairly hard, Riza's superior officer would freak out and run back to the hotel room. Every time Riza would only follow him silently; even though she was laughing hysterically on the inside. The famous war hero, Roy Mustang, runs away from a bit of rain.

It wasn't his entire fault though for running. Roy, known as the Flame Alchemist, can create an explosion with the snap of his fingers. The trick of his alchemy is the spark that comes from the ignition cloth gloves that he has. All he needs to do is snap and then transmute the air to direct where the flames will go and how concentrated the explosion should be. Although such power comes from a single snap, get the gloves wet and that power is gone.

All great powers have great downfalls is what Riza always believed. Of course in alchemic terms they may call it equivalent exchange. In return of getting such great potential, that potential can be taken away easily. She too has a great downfall and she knows that. What was always caught in her mind was did he know? Rain helps cause both her power and her downfall. When it rains Roy depends on Riza to protect him and so he keeps close, making her feel as if she has a purpose in his life. Unfortunately, because Mustang stays so close is the reason she hates the rain. To be loyal to a man with great intentions is her power, but to be in love with that very man and not being allowed to love him was her downfall. Heck she didn't even know if he even loved her back. Why should he? He has gone out with every pretty girl in East City and can have any one of them. Why would he want to go out with his subordinate who forces him to finish his work every day?

She shook the notion out of her head. Riza may hate herself for being so reckless about letting her feelings be so loose, but she could never hate Roy. Chaing the subject, Riza thought about the task at hand, _Maybe Mustang and I will actually find Scar and finish this wild goose hunt. _Riza gave a small smile as the sun started to make the morning dew shimmer in the fields of the country side. _Roy'll be happy that the rain has finally stopped at least. Oh this place reminds me so much of home! I never thought I would miss the landscapes this much though. I wonder if the fields' grasses are just as comfortable as the ones back home...  
_

Waking up from her day dream, Riza switched back to military mode. She made him some breakfast and walked over to the bed where he lay, curled up in a little ball beneath the sheets. She crouched down and pecked a kiss on top of his head. "Good morning sleepy head. Your breakfast is ready." She smirked as the little mass of black and white fur jumped out of his dream to eat his breakfast. "When you're done Buraha I need you to go and wake up the Colonel. Just scratch at his door a bit and he should be up and about."

One yip was all she needed for her to leave Black Hayate with his mission and for Riza to get into her 'civilian' clothing. When she put on her blouse, it was so light that Riza felt as if she was revealing herself, and so she put on a jacket to make her feel a bit better. She wore her military outfit so much, her normal clothes felt so strange against her skin, but she needed to wear it. The town they were in was a very small town and so far away from the main cities, the military almost never came around, and having military personnel suddenly come into the town and walk about could potentially cause the town to uproar in a panic and that is the last thing Riza would want to do. By the time she finished getting dressed, brushing her hair, and completing all her other daily routines, Riza could hear Hayate, whimpering, as he dragged himself into the room. He had failed his little mission. She only gave a little chuckle as she picked up her very depressed puppy and stroked his fur, "Don't worry about it Hayate. I'll go fetch him. He's not very much of a morning person."

* * *

"Sir…sir! It's 8:30 sir and the rain is gone so we can have a thorough search for Scar today." 

Roy heard a stressed sigh before opening his eyes slightly. In his presence he saw a blond woman in a dark grey skirt down to the knee wearing a black blouse and a beige jacket over the blouse. Even though there was no bedazzle and the outfit was just plain, the woman was stunning…that is until Roy had opened his eyes a bit more and realized the woman as his First Lieutenant Hawkeye. He sat up, struggling a bit, "Nngh…Hawkeye-" he clutched his head in pain but continued on what he was saying, "How'd you get into my apartment?"

By this time Riza had noticed the half empty bottle of scotch on the nightstand. _He drank himself to sleep? I wonder why… _"Sir we're at a hotel in a town on the boundary of Amestris in search of the criminal, Scar. I'm sorry for intruding without asking but I'm only in your hotel room only because Black Hayate was not able to wake you up."

Roy sighed in agony. Even her melodious voice was ramming against his head. _Damn hangovers… _"Alright well do you think you can handle it on your own Lieutenant? I can just barely see straight and I don't think I want to try and go searching for a man that could potentially kill me." He watched her salute to his request and take leave from the room. Once she left, he fell back against the pillow. _Maybe I can actually get some sleep and those damn dreams won't haunt me…_

Knowing the Colonel, Riza only saluted, took the bottle of scotch, and locked the door behind her. She stared at the amber liquid and sighed. _I wish Roy would talk to me instead of drowning himself to sleep. I may be hard on him at work, but it's only 'cause I want him to get to the top and change this country to a better place. _Her footsteps echoed down the hall as she stepped out of the building for the last time.

* * *

A/N: Please give me a reveiw if you have the time. It doesn't even have to be positive and it doesn't have to be big either. I've got Chapter 2 all written up but I wanna know what you think first. Sorry there's no real action. There will be a tid bit in Ch. 2 and a lot in Ch. 3 (If I actually have time to write it T-T)  



	2. Rain Can Be Deceiving

A/N: I'd just like to thank my reviewers just becase they're awesome and they rock my socks :D...Oh and I don't own FMA

**Chapter 2: Rain Can Be Deceiving**

Although it was still fairly early in the morning, the town was already bustling about. Little children were even out playing in the streets. Shops were open, waiting to make a sale, families were inside cleaning, and so many other thing were happening in a fine, tranquil town. It reminded Riza of her own childhood in the small town she lived in. Her memories started making her feel rather guilty now. She hadn't been home in years. In fact, her family hasn't seen her since she left to be in the military. She could only laugh at herself; _they'd probably think I was dead if Grandfather didn't talk to them. Of course who knows what he tells them. _She let out a little chuckle, _He's probably telling Mother I'm happily married to this man who can support my needs so she won't worry so much._

Riza's mother never really did approve her leaving, but she wanted to join the military for her father. Her father was an excellent gunman in the military, but after getting a fatal wound, he could never return to service. The wound had also made him susceptible to any sickness. It was pneumonia that killed him in the end. His last words ot Riza were, "Do what you can, whatever the challenge." Riza thought she understood it, but whenever she traced back to that day, she always felt that what she was doing just wasn't enough.

Walking down the street she watched a young boy lift up his sister to help her reach something high up. She could only smile as the memories flowed back into her mind._ I wonder how Ty is doing… _Riza's brother is the one she looks up to next to her father. He is such a ladies man, but he's sincere and caring when he needs to be. _Roy always reminds me of him, but now Roy stopped speaking about what was on his mind. _She sighed, _Ever since the war he just hasn't been the same._

She wasn't all too comfortable with leaving Roy alone. It wasn't because of his hangover leaving him vulnerable, but something was really was worrying him. Just last night he had come into Riza's room suddenly but silently. She didn't dare make a notion of her being awake. If he did catch her, he would only say, 'Nothing is wrong I just thought I heard you call my name.' She sighed, _Men, their pride is always more important than their mental health._ What had really gotten her in a panic was that after checking she was alright, he didn't leave her doorway for a good hour or so. The whole time he stared directly at her. His eyes didn't move at all. The whole hour sent chills up her spine and pangs down in her heart. _I don't think he would have ever left if Hayate hadn't woken up and noticed him there._ She pondered for a moment, _Why was he there anyway?_

Riza's thoughts were swamping her mind so much that she didn't realize the woman right in front of her, resulting in having both women on the ground

"Ow…" Riza moaned as she rubbed her head, "Ah! I'm so sorry. I really wasn't paying much attention. Are you alright?" She stood up and brushed the dirt off her skirt and offered a hand to the woman she had slammed into.

The woman's hair was a deep black that waved down to her shoulder blade, just like Riza's. Her figure was certainly astounding to any man's eyes. She could definitely be one of the girls Roy went out with. Her eyes were the most alluring of her features. Their blood red maroon color seemed to almost suck you in, but they also seemed to leave those not spellbound by them in fear.

The woman smiled slightly at the offer and accepted Riza's hand, "Don't worry about the whole accident." She gave a small pause and then continued on speaking in a cool tone, "Say you're the out-of-towner. Where's your husband?"

She blushed, "I-he's not my husband. He's just a-a friend of mine who's helping me look for someone."

"Really…" The woman didn't seem to belive her, but she figured she'd help Riza out, "Well how about you describe your friend to me. I might have seen them around here." Her voice was so nonchalant. It seemed almost as if she knew everything that would happen in the future. Nothing seemed to faze her.

Still shaking off the whole husband ordeal, she remembered a few details of Scar, "He's about six feet tall with grey hair and a large 'x' shaped scar across his face."

"I believe I've seen that man. Last I saw him was this morning. He was heading towards the valley at the end of this road."

Riza smiled, "Ah! Thank you so much. You've saved me so much time!" She started to jog off as best as she could in a skirt while the woman stood there and watched her.

"Go ahead you poor fool. You'll only find your end there." With that, the woman put on her hood and began to walk into the dank alley.

* * *

Roy flew out of his bed, breathing heavily and covered in sweat. He was as pale as Death himself. His hangover was almost gone, but that didn't matter to him right now. He pulled on a shirt and some pants and sprinted over to Riza's room. Nearly breaking down her door, Roy searched around for her to only find her puppy and a note. He picked up the puppy that was gnawing on his shoe and began reading the note: 

_Colonel,_

_There's a lunch made for on the table where Hayate can't get it. I should be back before dark but don't come out looking for me. Try and get some rest._

_-1st Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye_

_P.S. I recommend not drinking the rest of the whisky. It'll only make you forget your sorrows for a little while, not forever._

By the time Roy finished reading the note, the little fur ball had freed himself from Roy's grasp and had eaten his lunch, but right now Roy didn't care.

"I may still have some time. Buraha go get your leash. We're going to go find Hawkeye."

Hayate zoomed off the table and tumbled into a pile of his things to retrieve a leather leash of which he dragged over to Roy.

"Good boy. Now I need you to pick up Hawkeye's scent and follow it as fast as you can."

The little dog sniffed around the room and as soon as he got the scent he darted and Roy was right on his tail. _I need to get there as soon as possible. I might miss her otherwise…_

* * *

Riza walked off the road and onto the fresh grass. While walking up the hill, she checked to make sure her guns were in order. She had a gun on her side belt, and another wrapped around her thigh underneath her skirt; each gun having a reload of ammunition around her other thigh. While she checked her guns, she kept a close eye on her surroundings. She was ready for anything. 

She reached the top of the hill only to see what she thought was a dream. Down below her was a large field filled with white lilies. They were all over in patches and were completely surrounding the clear water lake. The dew on the lilies made the valley shimmer and brighten gray clouds that were leaving the sky. The grass was just as stunning. Riza had never seen such a green before and had never felt grass being so soft. It tickled her ankles as she walked through the field. Although the scene was amazing, Scar was nowhere in sight.

"Did I miss him?" Riza looked about again in disappointment. She was hoping to capture him so that she and Roy could finally leave this place. _Things might've actually gone back to normal…._

"Hawkeye!"

She turned her head to see Roy, in good health, running to the end of the road solitarily, "Sir? What are you doing here? I left a note telling you to rest."

He reached the top of the hill and looked as if he ran the whole way here across the town, "I know, but this is my mission. You're here for back up. So where is Scar?"

Riza had her back turned to him and walked a few paces forward gazing around the valley for Scar a third time, provoked by what he had just said, "I was told he was here but apparent-"

She stopped and gazed down at her right side, only to see her beige jacket slowly begin to change to a deep red. In shock she turned her head to where Roy was and saw a smoking gun in his hand. His face was calm and collected as if he had been planning this for a while.

With a wispy, confused voice she was able to mutter the one word of, "Sir?"

* * *

A/N: Okay I'm sorry! It's just another cliffhanger and there's still not much action. I'm working on that now. These two chapters are really just background chapters so you wont be so confuzzled later on. I'll try to get Chapter 3 up soon. I can't guarentee (I don't think I spelled that right...) it'll be soon but it will be good -Nods- Also sorry for the delay, it's been a bit hectic with school. It was the end of teh quarter meaning there were tests up to my head and...yeah. Like I said I'll try to get Chapter 3 up as soon as I can.

Oh yeah! Any thing that you don't think right about characters or I had wrong information please tell me 'cause I'd like to keep it as close to Arakawa's ideas as I can. Also anything else that you don't like or mispellings and such please tell me too. Thankee!


	3. Don't Let it Rain

**A/N:** Hello! This is a new vamped up version of this chapter. It now has better description (Still gory though) and better vocabulary. Editing Appreciantion goes to flaming-phoenix-love of DeviantArt (New vamped up version) and my friend Teriyaki Head (My grammar editor). I don't own FMA otherwise Envy would easily be considered one gender and would not live long through the series.

**Chapter 3: Don't Let It Rain**

He stood there silently, barley a few feet behind her still form. He looked the same as ever: his messy ebony hair with the sweeping bangs that fell in his face and those onyx eyes that seemed to swallow every single emotion that tries to get by. Those bottomless orbs were still doing their job dutifully; even after coldly pulling the trigger her, his protector and friend since before the Ishbalan War, the man's face was cool and collected. Riza stared at him with her slowly crumbling mask of calmness, a hand firmly placed on her bleeding side, teeth gritted to ignore the pain.

Riza Hawkeye, the one who people consider the perfect soldier for following orders, the ice queen, the one person in the military who had a perfect mask that no one could destroy, stood there silently, staggering oh so lightly, with whispers of tears pricking at the corner of her eyes. Roy Mustang was the one person she had decided to protect, help move up the ladder of ranks, give her life for and he was the only reason she kept going after all these years. And yet here they stood, a smoking gun held in his hand, pointed to her without the slightest tremor in his hand, her standing silently watching him, her coat slowly turning crimson. He had betrayed her without even showing a bit of remorse, not even a bit of hesitation. Riza's heart couldn't succumb to that line of thought; she could feel the still beating muscle just had given up and it felt as if it would decay under him shoes any moment.

Even though her heart had given up on life, her mind had yet to give in to the slowly slipping battle. She looked at him, her vision tilting a bit, she forced the usual respect into her cracking voice. "S-sir!" Riza stumbled a little as she took a small step forwards, towards him, her life, her possible death. _I'm losing too much blood, I'm already starting to loose my motor skills._ She thought startled as she looked down to her hemorrhaging wound and noticed that the crimson liquid had already drenched her blouse and was now beginning to bleed into her skirt's material as well. _Damn it! Why did he have to be so close when he shot me? The bloody bullet when right through me!_ Her eyes saddened slightly…_Why did he have to shoot me at all? Did I do something so wrong that this was the only answer?…_ Taking a deep breath and pushing that thought to the back of her head, she readdressed her commanding officer with as much strength as she could,

"Sir, please explain your actions!"

Roy didn't move a muscle, it was beginning to make Riza slightly anxious. _Is he in shock?_

"R-Roy?" She felt almost uncomfortable using his first name in such a way, but she had to find a way to get through to him some way. Even if he had shot her, and even though he had caused her pain, she still loved Roy.

She was going to call out to him again, getting more edgy when she did not get an answer, but finally the man showed some sign of movement. What felt like forever to Riza's slowing body, was only a few moments in time to everyone else. Smirking, he dropped the heavy gun, letting it crush the white lilies beneath it, petals of pure white flying upwards to land softly on his shined black shoes. Riza had seen that smirk thousands of times throughout her lifetime with him, and yet this one cut to the core.

Roy took a few light steps forward, although before the sniper could react to his movement, he was already ominously looming in front of her, cradling her lower jaw tightly in his soft ungloved hand. "You know, my dear Hawkeye, you have the prettiest eyes, when they're not so cold and heartless."

A silent tear streamed down Riza's slightly reddened cheek, escaping her frightened amber eye. This wasn't the same man she had followed obediently all these years, and his words struck her hard, nailing into her heart, his cold lifeless irises holding her still while he spoke.

"They're especially beautiful when they're filled with such delicious terror. Who knew a hawk's eyes could be so scared?"

Roy delicately wiped away the stray tear with his soft thumb and he began to lean in towards her, oh so slowly. Riza was in too much of a shock by his actions and too woozy from the violent blood loss to fight him off, she let their lips lock without any struggle. There was nothing passionate about it, but it was enough of a distraction for her not to notice Roy to pull a long jagged knife out from his rain coat. The stab from the weapon jolted Riza backwards a bit, the knife digging with great force into her upper abdominal.

As Riza fell forwards, falling to the crimson stained lilies as he stepped out of the way, she caught a glimpse of the pale face of her torturer. He had an evil smile painted on his thin lips, as if he were a small child with a new play thing; her heart being the said toy. _Nightmares from ishbal aren't even this horrible and, gods, not half as painful..._ She cried aloud in her spinning head, _He's not even poking at my feelings, he's ripping out my heart, my soul._

Beneath the blood-drenched crimson lilies that Riza was about to fall upon, lay a small hidden stone, her lost mind didn't even feel the small object when her temple came into contact with it. The blow to both her abdomen and head were enough to force the poor sniper out of her shock, and unfortunately for her, back into reality of the situation.

Roy kneeled down besides her, looking directly into her glazed over mahogany eyes, "Hmm… hurt, but still not broken. Not surprising though, that a hawk such as yourself would have so much pride."

Grabbing the hilt of the dagger that was still embedded into her muscles, he gave it a violent twist to the right; churning her hide and causing her to scream in utter pain.

"How about now little hawk?" Roy snickered evilly, the grin disappearing to exhibit a little evil smile as he dug and twisted the blade in a bit deeper.

Riza let out a vicious cry of agony as he did it, though she cut it short, grinding her teeth together, she wouldn't act weak now! She could feel the sharp grooves of the blade scratching and scraping against her lower rib bones, tearing and shredding her muscles, and shocking the nerves all over her body, as he twisted it again.

This pain, the mental agony of knowing that the one torturing her was the one she had vowed to protect, was truly worse than all the physical pain she had received in Ishbal.

Her crimson life's blood was no longer only gushing out of her bullet wound, but rushing into the gash that Roy was creating in her middle, stirring the gore with a grin on his scarlet speckle splattered face. It was almost as if he enjoyed the pain he was inflicting her by making the gash bigger, enjoying watching as it filled with ruby liquid and pieces of flesh that had abandoned her, filling the gap inside her with a gory stew: a blood broth, fleshy seasonings, and no stew is without the red meat. Pieces of that "meat" were working its way up into her esophagus and slowly towards Riza's already bloodied mouth, blood already escaping her lips, but her harsh pleas for the alchemist to stop kept the thick liquid down.

"GOD DAMMIT MUSTANG! ST-STOP I-IT P-PL-PLEASE!! " She let out a heart stopping cry of shear pain when the dagger was tugged lightly upwards, the sharp teeth taking off muscle and flesh " ROY- " Another heart wrenching cry of torment was ripped from her tinted lips" FUCK-R-ROY STOP!!"

Burning tears were now flowing down her rapidly paling cheeks as blood began to ooze from her battered fingers and remainders of her cracking nails as she clawed soft ground and lilies trying to get away.  
Once the "stew" was deemed done, Roy pulled the knife out of Riza in one swift jerk, "How does the proud birdie feel now? I know one thing, I sure am having a fun time!" he grinned roguishly and cackled evilly, but the laughter was cut off abruptly.

Riza barely managed to pull a gun out of one of the holsters on her thigh, her fingers now numb from the massive blood loss, that had taken more then a third of the liquid, and began consistently shooting Roy in the face, missing only a few times due to her shaking hands, tiring to hold back the tears as the bullets crashed into her superiors face, blood and bone flying away at each hit. The body fell heavily to the ground and Riza threw the empty gun away from her, her arms screaming in pain as the ligaments pulled to the shredded muscle in her chest. She felt horrid and a sick feeling wash over her weakened body. She had just killed her commanding officer and her only true love. _Roy…_ She was on the edge of letting herself go and give herself into the sadness and ache that was slowly consuming her, before she realized that the corpse was laughing wholeheartedly.

Roy started to pick himself up slowly, laughing his head off as he straitened himself, watching her with amused eyes "Always full of surprises aren't you my little Hawk?" His face was perfectly fine, not even a scratch on his perfectly pale face. Not one bullet wound was to be found on his well toned body, the only mark on him was on his clothes, but even that disappeared in the blink on an eye. Inching towards her, he began to smirk again, the evil pull of his lips that chilled her to the core, "It'll take more than a few bullets to get rid of me, my injured bird."

Riza's only response was to spit in his eye, earning a disgusted sound from him as he stumbled backwards lightly.

"You little bitch!" he yelled as he kicked Riza hard in the face, effectively breaking her delicate nose, sending even more crimson onto the soft, once pure white petals that were already weighed down by her blood "That spunk of yours isn't going to last long so give up now, before I have to hurt you even more!"

Enraged, Roy grabbed the hilt of the knife from where it stuck out from the ground and threw it down into her right thigh, causing her to lurch in pain as the blade sliced through the flesh, splattering even more scarlet around her, the fluid dripping onto the soft earth beneath the stems and into the ground below.

He dared to get in her face again, "You think that is pain? Just you wait my little hawk. Just you wait…"

Black Hayate was getting overwhelmed. It had only been over a few hours since Riza had left the hotel, but with the townsfolk that had filled the streets had made it difficult to keep track of her already faint scent.

"C'mon Hayate, figure it out! I know you can find her!" Roy was right behind Hayate wearing a wrinkled white shirt that was only partially tucked into his rumpled pants, calling encouragement to the pooch who seemed confused. Roy noticed that Hayate had given up on even finding her scent, "Dammit! If only my damn dream had shown me where the bloody hell this happened!" He cried out, ignoring the stares he received from the town's folk around him as he shot forward.

Soon after that was said, Hayate's black ears had perked up and he began to growl ferociously. He didn't even bother with notifying his discovery to Roy; he bolted.

"Bura-" Roy had started yelling out, before he knew what Hayate had heard. It was faint due to the bustle of the town that seemed to erase the sound from the air itself, but he could hear a woman's screams, calling out his name in the distance. "Riza…" he said softly under his breath, "I'm coming for you."

Riza could feel her teeth's enamel cracking as she clenched them tightly so no to cry out in torment. After 'Roy' had spoken to her once more, she had used what little strength she had left and punched him as hard as she could in the face. Unprepared for the blow, the man tripped over Riza's thigh, bumping into the red tinged hilt of the dagger, triggering it to cut deeper and farther along her already damaged leg.

That was the final straw for 'Roy'. He stood back up and roughly pulled the knife out of her thigh, ignoring the small cry of agony that ripped itself from her lips, and jabbing it into her left arm, straight through the bone.

"GOD DAMN IT!" Riza cried out, feeling the bone fragmenting under the pressure of the metal object, she was quivering in pure pain by then. She attempted to pull the blade out with her right hand but it was only to fail when 'Roy' stomped down hard on it, shattering the bone above her elbow in the process, seeming to enjoy the new pain he had caused her.

He started laughing, "How do you like that huh? Looks like you won't be flying away anytime soon, what with both your wings broken." He sneered sinfully while continuing to crush her arm under his black shined shoe.

"Stop that Envy. At that rate you'll kill her." A silken voice stated not to far away, prompting the broken shooter to let her head fall towards the tone. The woman that Riza had run into in the town before was now calmly walking to the scene of gore, calm reddish eyes watching the scene.

"Well if you had hurried your ass," Envy hissed, turning to watch her approach with murderous eyes, "This bitch wouldn't have been in such a condition!"

The woman only sighed as she pulled out a small vial filled with a thick crimson substance that sloshed around. She walked slowly over to Riza, who had fallen unconscious from the shock of pain and the massive lack of blood. Brushing the bloody bangs out of the small woman's face, she could only sympathize for the unfortunate human "Poor girl," she said gently so that Envy couldn't hear, "and to think you have yet to see the worst."

"Lust, hurry it up! I think I hear Sparky and that damn mutt of hers." By now Envy had transmuted back to his 'normal' self and was itching to get out of the blood drenched field.

Lust sighed softly again as she opened the vial in preparation for the worst to come to the blond. Opening a small cut on Riza's face with a sharp nail, Lust poured the thick scarlet liquid onto the fresh wound. The liquid seeped a little into the wound and began to spread through her bloodstream, veins turning blue as they took in the substance, forcing Riza's eyes to jolt open from the new shock of the new pain.

Once more, Riza lips parted to allow a shriek of pain, the sound louder than when she had the knife twisting in her sensitive skin. Despite the "stew" and the raw meat still in it, she tried to double over, this causing her more pain, causing the call of pain to get louder and sharper. Just watching her in the pain she was obviously in disturbed the two beings and gave them chills, something that rarely happened. They could feel the agony emanating off of Riza. The pain was too much for the hardened soldier; Riza pulled the knife of her arm barely even flinching and attempted to cut her throat to end the violent torture she was enduring. In fear of losing their host, Lust cut off Riza's hand with a clean swipe of an extended finger. The loss of her hand seem to scarcely faze Riza, but something else did. A burst of pain shot through the seemingly dying woman as she screamed out Roy's name on the top of her lungs. The man's name echoed for miles around. Nothing except being deaf could prevent a soul from hearing her cry of anguish.

All who heard could feel her pain resonate in their ears, never being able to imagine what would cause such torture. Ending her prolonged scream, her body seemed to relax a little and return to her normal self as she collapsed, nothing responding to her command. She couldn't help but let a sad smile spread on her pale panting lips.

"Roy…I'm so sorry…" was the only thing she had been able to whisper, the last words as she fell hard against the bloodstained lilies one more.

Hearing Riza's last agonizing cry for him, Roy and Hayate went into their energy reserves to reach the end of town and sprint up the hill, pushing anyone in their way. Hayate got to the top first and as soon as he did, his tail went between his legs and he started to whimper, turning back to look at the man who was running, panting, behind him.

By then, Roy had reached the top and a sick feeling had wrapped around his stomach, pulling it downwards in one swift jerk. The scene reminded him horribly of the Ishbal massacre; something he never wanted to witness again in his life.

In the valley of pure white lilies that shook and trembled in the breeze, there was an area that was painted a deep red, unable to move under the when of their coating. The lilies were dripping blood, deep scarlet, the small lake held a tint of red, and one area was just a pool of the dark substance, deep enough for Hayate to bathe in. Roy and Buraha reluctantly walked down into the valley and began to notice bits of meat, skin, and a bit of bone even, where scattered here and there. The scene was almost worst than Ishbal in Roy's mind. Within the carnage, Hayate was able to sniff out Riza's once beige jacket and he began to howl soon after. Roy walked over slowly, staggering from the violent shock, and noticed there was slightly sloppy writing on the jacket.

_Roy, don't let it rain. You're always useless when it rains._

Was drawn in blood, it was what Riza had struggled to do with the last bit of life she had in her, before she was trapped away in darkness on her fading mind.


	4. Rain Can't Wash Away the Pain

A/N: Oh my god. I'm so sorry I haven't posted in geez, how long has it been? I had this HUGE writer's block and then one night I couldn't sleep and wrote this up and bang! T'was written and then my friend edited it and then it took me FOREVER to actually find time to sit down and read it through to fix the errors. Thank god I couldn't sleep tonight huh? Well anyways here it is! I'm sorry it took forever. I promise it won't take me this long to post Chapter 5 I already have the idea in my head (I just can't think of a title for it shifty eyes). Well anyways I hope you enjoy! This one is not NEARLY as gory although there is a smidgen of profanity so I apologize. Somehow 'darn' just doesn't quite do it well enough... Anyways enjoy!

Chapter 4: Rain Can't Wash Away the Pain

Chapter 4: Rain Can't Wash Away the Pain

The afternoon sun did not make the gored scene any better. The crimson color that had once tainted the pure lilies had now begun to turn a dull brown and the flowers began to wilt. The flesh and bone also began to dim down in color and leave behind a fowl stench that only seemed to match the color of the dying scene. Nature was trying to be rid of such a horrid landscape, but she still left behind the pain and the echoes of the screams, as well as the howling of a depressed puppy.

Every once in a while, the ownerless dog would bring up his determination, catch the scent of his owner on her jacket, and try to catch a trail, but it would only end up a failure. Her scent was everywhere so there was no real way to find a trace of anything. And yet still he would try until her scent overwhelmed his nose and he would drag himself back to the woman's jacket and howl, hoping the dog's owner would hear him and come running back to cuddle all of the pain and hurt away. After each howl, no one came to give the puppy the comfort he truly needed, not even the man who had lost his heart and was only a few feet away from the crying pup. The dog knew better than that though. To believe he would give comfort was only a pointless wish for the broken man was in as much sorrow, if not more than the pup.

Upon reading the gory, yet soothing message on the woman's jacket, the man had merely stood there gazing at the jacket. Occasionally he would pick his head up and drag his head around to search as if he was looking for his heart. His sights would only fail him and his attention would return to the bloody jacket, reading the words over and over again as if they were the words of God.

As the sun began to set over the bloodied lily field, the man had begun to wonder as to why none of the townsfolk had come up over the hill to see what had happened. Before the woman had disappeared, she had screamed to the heavens so that all could hear her pain and even now her puppy was howling every few minutes.

What the man who had lost his heart did not know was that as the woman was heading towards the field that morning, many citizens had warned the woman to not go to the fields and to forget whatever she was searching for. The woman had only ignored their pleas because she didn't believe any of their words of curses and fate and simply just wanted to get her task over with so that she may return home.

Despite their beauty, the lilies really did have a dark, twisted curse on them. In sacrifice for their beauty, it has been said that the alluring lilies drink blood as their water. For generations, the lilies have tasted the life wine of creatures, young woman especially, by rape, murder, accidents, and just about anything imaginable. The townsfolk never dare to walk in the accursed valley because the fate is sealed for whoever walks on their fields. No matter how little of a step, the person's soul is stolen through their shoe and consumed for the lilies' beauty. Equivalent exchange in an alchemist's mind, but what the alchemist wondered at that time was where was his equivalent exchange?

He lost her and what did he get for that? Her bloodied jacket and her orphaned dog? Where was the equivalence in that? Where was his fucking equivalence?! The man stood up and kicked the jacket and was about to torch the thing when he noticed something else on the ground. One glance at it and the anger relinquished and a long forgotten emotion began to take its place.

It was her hand that he had caught sight of. It lay in the grass; fragile and pale in color, a completely different aura than the rest of the fields. What was most odd about the hand was that even though it was obvious there was a struggle and the hand was severed, it was almost as if the hand had never gone through battle and was relaxed. He knew better than to think that the hand withheld innocence though.

_How? How could a hand that has shed blood look so perfect? How could anyone go through a horrific attack and still tell me not to worry? How could she leave me?_

He stared at the hand some more before he felt a tug on his pants from the forgotten pup. The dog whimpered a bit while weakly wagging his tail and focused on the severed hand. The man crouched down to meet the dog's gaze and immediately was nuzzled on his hand; still hoping for it to come alive and comfort the dog. After a while the puppy began to whimper and cry as it desperately licked the hand and pawed at it.

The man was torn. "You miss her too huh boy?" He searched for some acknowledgment but the only acknowledgment was being ignored and the crying only become more desperate and the hopes of her return dying. He couldn't take it anymore. The man scooped up the puppy and held the dog close. The pup, shocked at first; still pawed and cried, but as the man cooed him and gave him warmth, the puppy fell asleep in exhaustion.

_How could such a little thing care so much? How could he try so hard? How could he not give up? _He paused. _How could I have even given up so easily and suddenly? How could I have betrayed you like that? How can I get you back?_

Carefully, so that the puppy wouldn't wake, a nest was assembled using the bloodied jacket and the wearied pup was placed in the nest to rest. As the dog slept, a hole was being dug into the crimson soil. Dug by bare hands and the soil softened by tears, a proper burial was made for the hand. He held the delicate hand against his cheek, himself now wishing that the hand would come back to life to comfort him. Instead it lay in the alchemist's hand; cold, lifeless.

The sun had finally set on the gruesome day, but it was still light on the fields. From the town it seemed as if the fields were glowing and from the emanating aura, emerged a shadowed figure. The glow was the flames rising high into the night sky blotting out the stars while the lilies screeched and their petals curled and fell to become black ash. The townspeople ran into their houses, thinking that Satan had risen from the depths of Hell, though it was only the Flame Alchemist, with determination in his eye, carrying a puppy within a bloody jacket. Roy Mustang was going to get back his heart and return Hayate to his owner. _Riza… I'm coming._


End file.
